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PKEY_DROP Echo Guidelines: rev. 2 JUL 01
Posting Frequency: 1st and 15th of the month.
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KEYNOTES:

ONE-

If you have generated a public-key of 1024 bits with 2.3a or later
versions of PGP, you probably don't need to revoke the old one and make
a new one. This is particularly true if your key was made with any of
the 2.6 generations. If you're worried about getting 2.6.2 or later on
your key, don't make a new one, just re-export your public-key with the
newer version of PGP using the standard key export command:

PGP -kxa youruserid youruserfilename

and then copy the new copy of your public-key to your file directory so
people can file-request or download it.

TWO-

MAKE SURE you distribute the PUBLIC-KEY ONLY! Every so often a neophyte
will put his/her secret-key into circulation. That's BAD!

THREE-

When making your first public-key pair or a new public-key pair, go for
the 1024 bit size. Don't make your key any more vulnerable than you
need to regardless of how long it takes to compile it. If you go for
the 2K size key, keep in mind that 2047 bits is NORMAL for the stock
PGP.

FOUR-

MAKE SURE you put all your possible userids on your public-key after
you generate it and before you circulate it for use and/or signatures.
It is especially important to be sure that your standard User Name is
on there EXACTLY as it appears in the From: line on your Netmail and
Echomail. This makes it much simpler for folks to encrypt to your name
as detected in a reply.

It also makes life simpler if your Netmail name, your public-key name
and your FidoNet Nodelisting name are all the SAME name!

FIVE-

It is recommended that individual, public-keys be made available via
Netmail or by file-request with the magic filename: PGPKEY and that the
public-key provided for that request by given a distinctive filename
using part or all of each provider's name and address. For example, on
my system, a file-request of PGPKEY will give MFLKEY.ASC to the
requesting system. A magic filename of KEYRING will yield my working
Public Keyring as MFLPUB.PGP. INETRING will give you PUBKEYS.PGP which
is a ring i downloaded from one of the large public keyservers some
years back. This will avoid duplicate overwriting and make it easier
to track the keys. Using standard magic filenames will make it easier
to find keys and keyrings on different systems.

[NOTE: PGPKEY is usually the magicname for the SYSOP's public-key on a
given system. Users may ask their Sysops to make the User keys
available by specific filename the User can advertise.]

SIX-

DO NOT SIGN someone's public-key UNLESS you have obtained it directly
from them or their system under password or by direct file-request.
Signing the keys of others without knowing those keys came from who
they claim to be from dilutes the web of trust. You do not have to sign
a key to add it to your keyring.

SEVEN-

IF you are going to upgrade your key size from smaller to larger, be
sure to sign your new key with your old, established key FIRST and
BEFORE you revoke your old one. It will give you a head-start on
trusting the new one. If you don't know how to force PGP to sign [or do
any other key feature] by KeyID number instead of UserID, just remember
to preface the KeyID with 0x and PGP will know which key you mean to
use for any specific operation.

SPECIAL NOTE ---

If you lose your secret-key password [or forget it] or your secret-key
in a drive crash [because you failed to back it up on floppy], you
cannot issue a revocation certificate. In that case, you should make a
general announcement in all related Echos that your old key should be
disabled using the PGP disable command [PGP -kd userid] for your
userid. That keeps your useless key on their keyrings [so they won't be
replaced from other lists who didn't get the word] and permits them to
add a new key from you without one interfering with the other. BACKUP!
BACKUP! BACKUP! [clear?] [grin]

This Echo is available on the Zone 1 Backbone. This Echo has been
Elisted since ELIST211. Please feel free to announce this Echo to all
interested participants in your area.

Thanks.

Mark Lewis, 1:3634/12, wkitty42@alltel.net

Conference Moderators


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